Hugh Howard, Irish, 1675-1737
Title: Portrait of Arcangelo Corelli (1653-1713), Composer and Violinist
Date: c.1699
Medium: Oil on canvas
Dimensions:
118 x 87 cm
Credit Line: Purchased, 1915
Object Number: NGI.773
ProvenanceMr Anthony; Dr H. W. Cummings, FSA., Dulwich; purchased, Christie's, 17 December 1915, Dr H. W. Cummings sale, lot 147
Exhibition HistoryIrish Portraits 1660-1860, National Gallery of Ireland, Dublin, 14 August - 14 October 1969; National Portrait Gallery, London, 30 October 1969 - 4 January 1970; Ulster Museum, Belfast, 28 January - 9 March 1970
Label TextArcangelo Corelli was one of the most influential composers and violinists of the eighteenth century. Primarily based in Rome from the 1670s, he retired from public life in 1708, devoting his time to composition and revision of his concerti grossi. He died in Rome in 1713, and was buried in the Pantheon, near Raphael's tomb. Irish portrait painter Howard lived in Rome from 1697 to 1700. He cleverly showcased Corelli’s vocation, in this portrait, by including musical paraphernalia on the painted frame within the picture. Some of Corelli’s ground breaking Trio Sonata is legible in the opened book of music.